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 This article is about a villain in VR Troopers.
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- "Forces of darkness, empower me! Take me back to my virtual reality!"
- ―Karl Ziktor upon transforming into Grimlord.[src]
Grimlord was the alter ego of billionaire Karl Ziktor, owner of Ziktor Industries, and the primary antagonist of VR Troopers. Years ago, Grimlord was responsible for the capture of scientist Tyler Steele, and the near death of Professor Horatio Hart, which forced Hart to remain in Virtual Reality in order to stay alive. Grimlord, during the same measures that were taken, also accessed a source of Steele's and Hart's experiments in inter-reality travel, and gained the incredible powers that were required to access Cyberspace.
After he arrived in Virtual Reality, Grimlord assembled a fierce army of mutants and cyborgs and commanded them from a place of authority. In the first season, that was the Virtual Dungeon. In the second season, it was the Virtual Dark Fortress. Grimlord also appointed several mutants and cyborgs as authority figures themselves including General Ivar and Colonel Icebot. In perhaps the greatest irony, Grimlord transformed Tyler into Dark Heart. But Dark Heart turned traitor after Ryan Steele freed him from execution. When Ryan and Dark Heart confronted Grimlord, Grimlord escaped after he set the Virtual Dungeon to self-destruct. When Dark Heart regressed back to Tyler, Grimlord abducted him with his powers as he still needed him for his next plan.
Grimlord, like the VR Troopers, had a civilian identity and traveled between both realities on a regular basis. Ziktor used a transference orb that was placed on the desk in his office and chanted: "Forces of Darkness, empower me! Take me back to my virtual reality!" The orb then sent a current of energy into Ziktor's body, which changed his physical appearance. Upon transformation, Grimlord was then taken to his throne room in his command center.
Like most heartless super-villains, Grimlord cared very little for his army and henchmen, and generally lost patience with them quite easily when they reported a complication or failure. Grimlord's constant defeats by the VR Troopers caused a frequent irradiation in his eyes and a clenched fist at the conclusion of every episode which made them glow red. Grimlord was not above destroying his own base to kill the VR Troopers, as displayed three times in the series: twice with the Virtual Dungeon, and once with a cave that he temporarily used after Dungeon's final destruction. In the second season, Grimlord attempted to trap Ryan in another dimension just to prevent the VR Troopers from learning his name in reality. In fact, no one, not even the VR Troopers or Hart, knew that Grimlord and Karl Ziktor were one and the same. Surprisingly, the only creature who Grimlord seemed to value the life of was a pet iguana of Ziktor's personality, whom he affectionately referred to as "Juliet", to the point that he appeared hesitant at the idea of subjecting her to an experiment in order to test a device to use against the VR Troopers.
In the second season, Grimlord underwent a drastic change in appearance and format after he self-destructed the Virtual Dungeon for the second time. With barely any footage of his counterpart that existed for use anymore, Saban upgraded Grimlord into an American exclusive character and base of operations. After he siphoned off Tyler's knowledge of Virtual Reality into an energy prism (which resembled a green, pyramid shaped crystal), Ziktor discarded his traditional orb, used that prism, and accessed a whole new army of virtual creations & a new base of operations that was called the Virtual Dark Fortress. Grimlord had a sleeker, modified appearance that included a cape & a long tail, though as he was always seated in season one, those features could have always been present. Grimlord was no longer confined to sitting on a throne and also had the ability to teleport to different places at will.
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Portrayal[]
- Karl Ziktor was portrayed by the late Gardner Baldwin.
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Cybertron[]
Cyrus Riktor
In the Cybertron pilot, Grimlord's alias was instead Cyrus Riktor, and he commanded the War Drones. Cyrus also had a son named Percy Riktor, who was the martial arts rival of Adam Steele.
Trivia[]
In the Italian dub of VR Troopers, Grimlord's name was adapted as Lord Grim .
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See Also[]
- God Neros - counterpart in Choujinki Metalder. See comparison page. (Japanese counterpart in Season 1 along with his traits)
- Great Emperor Kubilai - counterpart in Uchuu Keiji Shaider. See comparison page. (leading role in Season 2)
- Queen Pandora - counterpart in Jikuu Senshi Spielban. See comparison page. (leading role for General Ivar and his followers and summoning the Skugs and aerial forces)